Washer-dryer with lint removing means



Nov. 19, 1963 1.1.BQNNER 3,111,018

WASHER-DRYER WITH LENT REMOVING MEANS Filed July 15, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. 1/019 J. ION/VIA Nov. 19, 1963 J. J. BONNER WASHER-DRYER WITH LENT REMOVING MEANS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 13, 1962 United States Patent Ofiice 3,111,918 Patented Nov, 19, 1953 3,111,018 WAEHER-ERYER WITH KENT REMUVHQG ildEAls S .lohn 3i. Bonner, Philadelphia, Pa., assignor to Philco or= partition, lhiladeiphia, Pa, a corporation of Delaware Filed .l'uly 13, 1962, Ser. No. 209,643 2 Claims. (6!. 68-20) This invention relates to domestic washer-dryers. It improves a machine of this type, particularly with respect to the ultimate disposal of lint particles which the machine collects during a drying operation.

Heretofore the disposal of this material required a tedious manual operation. Even in washer-dryer systems which were automatic in all other respects and which merely required to be loaded with fabrics and set for a laundering cycle, manual cleanout operations were periodically needed for the screens, generally used to r move lint from a fabric-drying air current. This was, in substance, the same kind of manual operation as the cleaning of an ash receptacle for an old-fashioned drnestic furnace. A household appliance which remains in need of such manual service can hardly be considered fully automatic. Thus it was an object of this invention to automate lint disposal.

Systems are of course known which can effect automatic solids disposal; however, they are not generally fitted to the requirements of a household machine.

The invention achieves full automatic operation of a compact and eifective household laundry machine, including the lint removal system thereof, by providing a modern washer-dryer with lint removing means of the air scrubbing type and with a novel arrangement of liquid inlet and outlet means for the scrubbing compertinent. By means of this arrangement the invention provides a unique cycle of filling, air-scrubbing, and scrubber emptying operations for the lint removal compartment.

The exact construction of a preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described. The drawing shows this construction in sectional front view, FIGURE 1; partly sectionalized side Vl6W, FEGURE 2; and exploded perspective View, FIGURE 3.

The newly arranged lint removal section forms a rear section of a washer-dryer which otherwise, as generally indicated in FIGURES l and 2, can have a conventional cylindrical horizontal-axis tub it), disposed in a rectangular cabinet 11 and provided with the usual automatic water inlet valve 12, drain sump l3, and water outlet 14, for the washing and rinsing of fabrics in a tumbling drum 15 coaxially mounted in the tub, and with the usual intake structure 16 closing its front. it is believed that details of the conventional components or subassemblies thud need not be described or illustrated herein.

A hollow tub-back structure 17 is provided, in a form which is known in general and which includes a pair of approximately cone shaped walls (front wall is and rear wall 19). These walls have common base lines, suitably secured as by welding of peripheral flanges to a flanged rear portion of tub it). The invention has particular relation to novel utilization and arrangement of the interior space or region between these tub-back walls, which region provides the new air-scrubbing and lint removing chamber.

In accordance with the invention as shown, this space within the tub-back structure is provided with partitioning means dividing it into a plurality of compartments. A lint removal chamber 21 is shown as being laterally confined by and between a central vertical partition 22 and a lateral, generally downwardly extending partition 23, both having upper ends secured to the inside of the peripheral area of structure 17, while having lower portions extending through generally central portions of the tub-back space.

Both partitions extend in forward-rearward directions and have continuous edgewise contact with tub-back walls l8, 19, as is shown in FIGURE 2 and additionally indicated by FIGURE 3. On the left side of central partition 22 as shown in FIGURES 1 and 3 is an air outlet chamber 24. An upper portion of lint removal chamber receives the circulating air from drum 15 through a port 25 in tub-back front wall 18. The air then passes downwardly through this chamber 21, around the lower end of central partition 22, and upwardly through air outlet chamber 24. From here the air passes through a suction port 26 into a blower 27, shown in FIGURE 2 as mounted on tub-back rear wall 19. If the machine is operated as a closed or air-recirculating dryer the previously used and treated and recirculated air stream then asses across heater 29 into the front structure of the machine for suitable distribution in the tub and drum. Ultimately it passes through lint removal region 17 as already described.

In further accordance with the invention a small body of water 36 is provided at the bottom of tub-back space 17, for separating lint and in some cases also condensable vapors, from the circulating hot air, although vapor condensation, if any, can also and perhaps better be provided by other devices, not shown herein. The body of water accordingly serves mainly as a means for ultimately disposing of the separated lint. This body of water 3% is provided by filling the lower part of the tubback space with water from the front part of tub 15, through an opening or port 31, as will be described orescntly; and the water is subsequently withdrawn from the tub-back to waste by a siphon tube 32. The functioning of this inlet port 31 and outlet siphon 32 for lint removal region 17 can best be explained in connection with a brief statement of the complete operation of the machine, which is as follows:

initially the user may deposit fabrics to be laundered, together with suitable soap or the like, in drum 15 through a suitable front door 33 of cabinet 11 (FlGURE 2). A body or" water 34, for washing the fabrics in the drum, is then provided in tub ill, in front of tub-back 17 (FIG- URE 3), by inlet means 12. This water fills the tub to a suitable level L-Tt under the control of a pressure switch 35 hydraulically connected to the tub and electrically connected by circuitry 36 to inlet means 12. A motor 37 is then started, which is connected by belting 33 and shaft 39 to rotate drum l5 and thus to tumble and wash the fabrics in drum l5. Shaft 39 is guided by the usual bearing structure 40 in tub-back 17 (FIG- URE 1).

Water inlet 31 of tub-back 17 is located at or adjacent the predetermined water level L4; therefore, when the body of wash solution in the front part of tub it) has reached this desired level, such water also fills the lower part of the tub-back and provides the aforementioned body of water 3b which extends up to the same level Ll. it is here to be noted that the top of siphon 32 is disposed slightly above this water level L-l.

It has been found convenient to have the body of water 36 present in the tub-back at the time when the washing program is initiated, even if for the moment no particular use be made of this water. In any event as mentioned, the machine initiates the tumbling of the fabrics in and through the water in drum 15.

After the washing operation, water can be drained from the front part of the tub, as by pump 41 in water outlet 14. Further, in accordance with the preferred form of the invention, the small, initially provided water supply So in the tub-bacn is then removed. This can be done, for instance during an interval following promptly after the washing operation, by automatically admitting a small additional amount of water to liquid body 34 in tub (FIGURE 3). For this purpose valve 12 can be opened during a short time interval, such as one minute, without the use of any particular level control by pressure switch 35 at this time. This raises the water levels in both the front and tub-back portions of tub l9 from level L1 approximately to L-Z, thereby starting outlet siphon 32 flowing. This siphon then empties tub-back 17, removing the previously used Water 30, through piping 42, into the suction of drain pump 41.

No body of water is needed in drum 15 during the next following spray rinse; none is therefore established in the tub at this time. Thereafter, the wash-rinse program continues with a deep-rinse. The front part of tub llti, having first been drained by pump 41, is re-filled for such a rinsing operation; that is, clean water is newly admitted by inlet valve 12 to tub 16. Pressure switch 35 again allows this water to reach level L-l so that, through opening 31, the tub-back region is again filled with clean water 3d up to this same level L l.

When the fabrics have been rinsed and when spinextraction treatment has been applied thereto pursuant to one or several of the rinses, tumbling of the fabrics is resumed and hot air drying is initiated. For the latter purpose heater 29 is then energized and blower 27 then causes heated air to circulate through tub it} and tumbling drum 15. The current of hot air causes lint to be dislodged from the tumbling fabrics; this lint passes with the hot air through port into lint removal chamber .21, downwardly through this chamber, and at the bottom thereof, onto and through surface portions of the body of initially clean water 30, then present in the tub-back space. As the air, containing the lint particles, so impinges on the water and as the current of air turns from downward to upward direction, lint particles are scrubbed and removed from the air current into the water, these particles becoming thoroughly wet by this scrubbing treatment and tending thereupon to stay in the water instead of continuing to follow the air flow. Some of the particles remain at or near the water level as floating material separated from the air stream, while the bulk of the separated particles become heavy enough to sink and settle in water body 30.

Although the space provided by tub-back 17 is rather limited it is adequate for the scrubbing operation as described, so long as new scrubbing water is automatically provided after each cycle in accordance with the invention. For this scrubbing operation it is also important that surface level L-l of water body 30 should remain within a certain range of elevations, relative to the lower end of central partition 22, so as to insure thorough scrubbing, wetting and removal of the hilt. This maintenance of water level Lll, during a complete drying phase, is achieved without difliculty since the body of water, initially provided in the tub-back Zone, has relatively small surface area and substantially no exposure to evaporation, and since the hot air, then received from the fabrics being dried, has a high percentage of relative humidity, thus preventing appreciable evaporation of water in the tub-back space even during a pro-longed fabric drying operation. The lint removal therefore proceeds uniformly during the entire drying cycle; lint is removed from the circulating air and is retained in water 39.

Ultimately, water Eli? and the removed lint are disposed of, incident to another washing operation as already de scribed, whereafter the laundering cycle again continues with the various phases described above, including refilling of the tub-back space with water during one of the rinse fill operations. A resume of a complete cycle of the new lint disposal system can therefore be given as follows:

Extraction in 34. Deep Rinse in 34.

ing. Draining Region 34 Empties Full to Irl. Extraction in 34 Empty Full to L"']., scrubbing lint. Drying in 34 d0 Do.

It will be seen that full automatic operation of the washer-dryer, including the lint removal system, has thus been provided by a technique which includes exposing the air stream to scrubbing action subject to the indicated controls. The control system provides periodic automatic filling and emptying of the lint disposal region. During a time interval fully incorporated in the operating program the line disposal system is refilled; as indicated, this can be done incident to the deep rinse, for use of the lint disposal system during the drying phase. An emptying operation, as described, is then performed during a brief flushing phase, easily incorporated in the next following laundering cycle and which causes no interference with the appropriate functioning of the entire washing, rinsing, extracting and drying system. The auxiliary cycles of emptying and refilling the air scrubbing lint disposal system are thus performed without the slightest impairment of the principal operations, performed in front of tubbacn l7; and the liquid-actuated air purifying system, provided thereby, completely relieves the user of the machine of any necessity of manual cleaning out a lint screen systern or the like.

While only a single embodiment of the invention has been described, the details thereof are not to be construed as limitative of the invention. The invention contemplates such variations and modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. in a fabrics washer-dryer of the type having a tub with hollow wall structure rotatably supporting a perforated turnbling drum, said hollow wall structure being arranged for reception of a current of air from said drum during the drying of fabrics, and for reception of water to remove lint from such air within the hollow wall structure, the improvement which comprises:

water inlet means so arranged that the tumbling drum can be immersed in fresh water for the washing of fabrics and that such water when reaching a certain level overflows into, and collects Within, a lower part of the hollow wall structure;

means, including partition structure in an upper part of said hollow wall structure, for causing said current of air to pass into contact with the water collected in the hollow wall structure, and then upwardly away therefrom, to separate said int from the air and retain it in the water; and

water outlet means adapted periodically to remove collected water and separated retained lint from within said hollow wall structure and pass it to waste.

2. A lint removal system for a washer-dryer of the type having a tumbling drum, a tub surrounding the same, means for immersing the tumbling drum in water, up to a certain level, for the washing of fabrics, and a hollow wall structure closing said tub, rotatably supporting said drum and arranged for reception of an air stream from said drum during the drying of fabrics and for removal of lint from such air stream by Water received in said hollow Wall structure, said system comprising:

aperture means in said wall structure,- so arranged that water immersing the tumbling drum, when reaching 5 said level, overflows into the hollow wall structure of water in said wall structure slightly above said and collects therein, up to said level; certain level, thereby starting said siphon and flushmeans in said hollow wall structure for causing said air ing said hollow wall structure.

stream to pass into contact with the water so col- Rfr C'tdth fil fth' tt lected in said hollow wall structure and then upWard- 5 e e ences e m e e 0 Is pa en ly away therefrom for said removal of lint; UNITED STATES PATENTS siphon means in said hollow wall structure, leading 1,802,034 Perks Apr. 21, 1931 therefrom to waste, and having a neck slightly above 2,868,004 Runde J an. 13, 1959 said level; and 2,892,335 Gray June 20, 1959 control means adapted periodically to raise the level 10 2,929,674 Tann Mar. 22, 1960 

1. IN A FABRICS WASHER-DRYER OF THE TYPE HAVING A TUB WITH HOLLOW WALL STRUCTURE ROTATABLY SUPPORTING A PERFORATED TUMBLING DRUM, SAID HOLLOW WALL STRUCTURE BEING ARRANGED FOR RECEPTION OF A CURRENT OF AIR FROM SAID DRUM DURING THE DRYING OF FABRICS, AND FOR RECEPTION OF WATER TO REMOVE LINT FROM SUCH AIR WITHIN THE HOLLOW WALL STRUCTURE, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES: WATER INLET MEANS SO ARRANGED THAT THE TUMBLING DRUM CAN BE IMMERSED IN FRESH WATER FOR THE WASHING OF FABRICS AND THAT SUCH WATER WHEN REACHING A CERTAIN LEVEL OVERFLOWS INTO, AND COLLECTS WITHIN, A LOWER PART OF THE HOLLOW WALL STRUCTURE; 